Buildings are commonly constructed with frame walls. A frame wall consists of a horizontal sole plate that is attached to the floor, a horizontal top plate that is attached to overhead joists or rafters, and a plurality of spaced apart vertical studs extending between the foot plate and the head plate. The plates and studs are generally made of either two-by-four boards or metal framing members having similar dimensions. A nominal two-by-four board is actually about one and three-fourths inches in depth and about three and one-half inches in width.
After the frame wall is built, a wide variety of multi-component systems are installed, including electrical, plumbing, telephone, television, internet, and the like. Many of the components of these systems are mounted to the studs. These stud-mounted components include electrical outlets and switches, plumbing fixtures, telephone jacks, cable television jacks, internet jacks, intercom speakers, vacuum system ports, and the like. The walls are then covered with drywall, paneling, or other sheet material. It is important to know the location of the studs for attaching the wall covering material and for later attaching shelving or other items that require a supporting member. It is also important to know the location of the system components so that holes can be cut in the wall covering material to expose them.
Some construction workers make marks on the floor with pencils, pens, or paint to indicate the location of the studs and other components. For example, paint wands comprising an elongated pole with a receptacle for holding an upside-down can of spray paint have been used for this purpose. Unfortunately, the marks made in this manner are not precise. A variety of devices have been disclosed to precisely locate electrical boxes, including the devices disclosed in Elliot, U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,510, Oct. 22, 1974; Bussi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,297, Jul. 14, 1992; Jardine, U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,303, Jun. 29, 1993; and Burchell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,490, Apr. 1, 1997. Unfortunately, these devices require knowing the location of the stud.
Accordingly, there is a demand for a stud marker that precisely marks the locations of studs and the location of other components attached to the studs.